Francisco Comes To Town
Manny’s old cowboy pal Francisco comes into Sheet Rock Hills- and promptly gets a flat tire on his horse trailer. While he goes with Manny to get his flat fixed, the tools agree to watch Estrella- only to have to search for her when she escapes from right underneath their metaphorical noses.
Tropes in “Francisco Comes To Town” include:
- Answer Cut:Dusty: Where would you go if you were a horse?
(Cue Mr. Lopart, walking down the sidewalk with a giant basket of apples) - Audible Gleam: Estrella’s “lucky horseshoe” emits one when Francisco gives it to Manny at the episode’s ending.
- Blatant Lies: Mr. Lopart says this, after presumably having just missed a horse walking past him on the sidewalk.Dusty: Yeah, nothing gets past old Eagle Eye Lopart.
- The Bus Came Back: Francisco and Estrella return after having been absent since their debut episode.
- Character Action Title: Describes Francisco coming to Sheet Rock Hills (allegedly, to attend a horse show).
- Comically Missing the Point: Pat, twice.
- At the beginning of the episode, when the tools are guessing what a board “is” (meaning what Manny will make out of the board).
Pat: Ooh, I know what it is! It’s a piece of wood!- When the tools are looking for Estrella in the park, and what they thought to be her turns out to be Julieta with a stick pony.
Pat: Estrella’s lost a lot of weight. - Continuity Nod: While looking for Estrella, Dusty puts her detective skills into action.
- Deus ex 'Scuse Me: This occurs twice in rapid succession. First, Manny has to go to Kelly’s to get a puncture repair kit for the broken tire on Francisco’s trailer, and Francisco goes with him, leaving the tools to watch Estrella (whom Francisco had tied to a lamppost outside Manny’s shop). Then the phone in Manny’s shop rings and the tools rush off to answer it- and Estrella manages to pull free of the knot and run off while they’re in the shop.
- Saw It in a Movie Once: Apparently, Stretch learned how to make a horse go by saying “giddyup” and stop by saying “woah” from a cowboy movie.
- Slippery Skid: Mr. Lopart ends up doing this when he steps on an apple he dropped.
- Stock Animal Diet: Estrella loving apples is a major plot point- when she runs off, the tools expect her to be by the apple tree in the park, and then they manage to lure her back to shop by having her follow Turner (who got an apple stuck on his shaft).
- Wasn't That Fun?: In the beginning of the episode, four of Manny’s tools all jump on a shelf before Manny finishes installing it and cause it to fall with them on it. Felipe then has this to say:Felipe: That was fun!
Broken Drawbridge
On the day of Sheet Rock Hills’ strawberry festival (don’t ask), Manny receives an urgent call from Sal, a drawbridge operator- his drawbridge is stuck open, and the truck that was supposed to deliver strawberries to the festival is stuck on the other side. All the drawbridge needs is new hydraulic fluid, but, unfortunately, Manny and the can of hydraulic fluid are on the other side of the river from Sal and the place where the fluid needs to be inserted.
“Broken Drawbridge” provides examples of:
- Anthropomorphic Food: Mr. Lopart is planning to decorate his booth at the strawberry festival with a giant model of a strawberry with a face (that looks suspiciously like his).
- Brick Joke: Early in the episode, Mr. Lopart’s giant strawberry model falls off his car and rolls off down the street, and he runs off to chase after it. At the end of the episode, when Manny and the tools are relaxing at the festival, Mr. Lopart is seen chasing his runaway strawberry again.
- Call-Back: Remember that random drawbridge Manny drove over in “Motorcycle Adventure”? Well, it’s broken down and needs new hydraulic fluid, but getting the fluid to the other side of the drawbridge is a bit of an issue…
- Catch-22 Dilemma: Sal and Manny end up having the problem- the drawbridge is stuck in the “open” position, and needs new hydraulic fluid to get it working again. Manny has the hydraulic fluid, but is on the other side of the river from Sal, and with the drawbridge stuck there seemingly isn’t any way to get the can of hydraulic fluid across.
- Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of the episode, Felipe and Turner make little leaf boats in the puddle that developed around a clogged storm drain, and try to propel them to the other side of the puddle by blowing them. Later, this inspires Manny to get the needed hydraulic fluid to the other side of the stuck drawbridge by building a mini-boat and sailing it across the river.
- Continuity Nod:
- This isn’t the first time Rusty has been scared by Manny’s drain snake because it’s called a “snake”.
- Mr. Lopart’s giant strawberry model is based on the strawberry on the label of his strawberry-flavored frozen yogurt.
- Improvisational Ingenuity: Manny manages to resolve the above-mentioned Catch-22 Dilemma by building a mini-sailboat (with an umbrella as a sail) and sailing the can of hydraulic fluid across.
- Remember the New Guy?: Sal the drawbridge operator can be added to the long list of “new characters everyone inexplicably already knows”.
- Rough Overalls: The strawberry farmer whose truck is stuck on the other side of the drawbridge is seen sporting a pair.
